Slat shade



June 7, 1932. H w PRATT l,861,718.

SLAT SHADE Filed Aug. 22, 1931 2 Sheets-Sheet l N TOR.

\ W\ I f yam 17 By Ll# I A TTORNEYS.

H. W. PRATT June 7, :1932.

SLAT SHADE Filed Aug. 22, 1931 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 N AENTOR. %z

A TTORNEYS.

Patented June 7, 1932 UNITED' STATES PATENT OFFICE HENRY 'W. PRATT, OF JERSEY CITY, NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNOR TO WILLIAM E. LUTTON COMPANY, A CORPOR-ATION OF' NEW JERSEY SLAT SHADE Application filed August 22, 1931. Serial No. .558,711.

This invention relates particularly to slat shades that are comnionly used on roofsof greenhouses,on porches, and on like places. Such shades usually comprise a plurality of 6 parallel wooden slats that are hingedly connected together at their longitudinal edges so that the shade may be rolled and unrolled.

The slats are usually connected by metal links which are generally forined of pieces of wire 10 which have their .ends forced into the corresponding slats to secure the links in position.

In such slat shades, the slats are frequently cracked, split or worn away by contact of the links with adjacent slats during the rolling and` unrolling Operations, and sometimes the slats are split during the forcing of the ends of the wirellinks into the slats.

One object of my invention is to provide a slat shade wherein a protective sheath, prefera'bly of metal, surrounds each slat at the area where the link engages the slat and the slat is engaged by the links of adjacent slats during the rolling and unrolling Operations, v so as to shield the slats against injury.

A further object is to provide a slat for slat shades including a strip of wood and a sheet of metal surrounding a portion of the strip to reenforce the strip against splitting and against injury by other slats in a slat shade.

Other objects are to provide a slat for slat shades including a strip of Wood, and a protective sheath of novel and improved construction; to provide such a slat wherein the sheath consists of a strip' of metal enbracing the slat and having portions thereof pressed into said slat to secure the sheath thereon; to provide such a slat wherein the sheath has a portion thereof pressed into the slat to form a groove to receive a link and secure the sheath on the slat; to provide a slat for slat shades including a strip of wood, a sheath surrounding the strip and formed with an opening at one side of the slat, and a link fol-med of a single piece of wire surrounding the sheath and having its ends penetrating the slat through said opening; and to obtain other advantages and results as will be brought out by the following description.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, in which corresponding and like parts are Figure 5 is a vertical longitudinal sectional View, on the line 5-5 'of Figure 2:

Figure 6 is a similar View, on the line 6 -6 of Figure 2, and

Figure 7 is a fragmentary end elevation of the slat shade showing the manner of rolling it. v

Specifically clescribing the illustrated embodiment of the invention, I have shown the slat shade A secured at its upper end b suitable hangers B to a greenhouse roo f The shade comprises a plurality of parallel strips 1 which are preferahly formed of Wood, sufliciently weathenproofed. At spaced points in the length of each slat, said slat is hingedly connected to adjacent slats, so that the slats may' be' rolled and unrolled upon each other.

As shown onthe drawings, at each of these hinging points, a sheath 2, preferably of metal, surrounds the corresponding strip l. This sheath is shown as consisting of a single strip of metal bent tightly around the strip, and having its end edges 3 penetrating one longitudinal edge of the strip for securing the sheath upon the strip. At one side of the strip 1 the sheath is provided with a slot 4.

Each of the links for connecting the strips together consists of a single piece of wire 5 enbracing the corresponding strip and having its extremities pointed at 6 and forced into the strip through the slot 4 in the sheath. At one side edge of the strip, the wire 5 is twisted at 7 to forn an eye whose aXis is at right' angles to the plane of the strip, to receive a loop 8 at the opposite end of an adjacent link, the axis of which is parallel to the plane of the strip, as clearly shown in Figures 2, 4 and 6.

Preferably the sheath 2` is formed at the opposite sides of the strip l with portions 9 which are pressed into the strip to provide grooves for the wire 5 and to further assist in securing the sheath upon the strip.

With this Construction, it will be observed that the strips l will be completely shielded' against contact with the links during the and unrolled in any suitable manner. Generally, one end 10 of a rope 11 is connected to the greenhouse or the like beneath the shade adjacent the upper end thereof, sa d rope passing around the lower end of the shade, then upwardly over a pulley 12 and downwardly to a convenient point for Inanipulation.

lVhle I have shown and' described the invention as embodied in certain details of Construction, it should be understood that this is primarily for the purpose of illustrating the principles of the invention and that many modifications and changes may be made in the details of Construction without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention.

Having thus described the invention, what I claim is: i

1. A slat shade comprising a plurality of parallel wooden slats, links for hingedly connecting adjacent slats, and a protective sheath secured to said slats at the areas where said links engage the slats to shield the slats against injury from said links` 2. A slat shade comprising a plurality o f parallel wooden slats, a link embracing each slat and hingedly connected at each end to the links on the next adjacent slats, and a protective sheath embracing each slat be neath the corresponding link to shield theslats against injury from said links andreenforce the slats against splitting.

3. A slat shade comprising a plurality of parallel wooden slats, a link comprising a piece of wire embracing each slat and with its extremities penetratng one side of said slat to secure the link thereto, each link being hingedly connected to links, of adjacent slats and a protective sheath comprising a, sheet of metal embracing each. slat beneath each link with its end ed-ges penetratingone longitudinal edge of said slat, said sheath having an opening through which pass the extremities of said piece of wire. i

4. A slat shade comprising a plurality of.

parallel wooden slats, a metal sheath surrounding a portion of each slat and having an opening at one side of said slat, and a link comprising a piece of wire surrounding each sheath with its extremities penetrating the corresponding slat through said opening in said sheath, said link being'hingedly connected to the links of adjacent slats.

5. A slat shade comprising a plurality of parallelwoodenslats, a link embracing eachslat and hingedly connected at each end to the links on the next adjacent slats, and a protective sheath embracing each slat beneath the corresponding link to shield the slats against inj'ury from said links and reenforce the slats against splitting, said sheaths having grooves therein to receive said links'.

6. A slat shade comprising a' plurality of parallel wooden slats, a link embracing'ea'ch slat and hingedly' connected at. each end* to the links on. .the next adjacent slats, and a protective sheath enbracing each slat be.- neath the corresponding link to shield the slats` against injury from said linksand reenforce the slats against splitting, said sheaths having portions thereof pressed into said slats' to form grooves to receive said links and' secure the sheaths on said' slats'.

7. A slat for slat shades, comprising ai. strip of Wood, a metal sheath tightl'y surroundin 'a portion of said' stri" e and a link surrounding said sheath for hngedly' connecting said slat to another sl'at, whereby' said sheath reenforces the strip and' protects it against injury from said links. i

HENRY W'. PRATTL 

